Food in Hyderabad

Planning to visit Hyderabad with your family and friends? Or even visiting the city on a business trip? If you're a foodie and do not want to miss out on any of the treats Hyderabad has to provide, well, you are at the right place. The beauty of Hyderabad can never be described without mentioning the aesthetic taste in its food varieties. The serpentine alleys of Hyderabad are distinguished by the crisp and fragrance of its food and beverage respectively. This guide is to give you an idea of Hyderabad famous food places. So, here are the top 10 food places in Hyderabad.

1. Hyderabadi Biryani At Paradise

If you were to rank the cuisine of Hyderabad by popularity, the biryani of Hyderabad will be at the top of the charts without the least confusion in the matter. Most people would be ready to consume it at any hour of the day and its rich aromatic flavour and taste never fail to bring anyone back for a second helping! It is usually made with mutton, but chicken biryani is also a hot favourite.

Hyderabad’s most popular Biryani outlet, Paradise, has special packaging available for people who carry huge quantities of it home, on a domestic flight.

2. Haleem At Pista House

Mostly made from mutton, nuts and spices and wheat, this slow-cooked dish is a hot favourite of people, without reference to religion. This dish provides special sustenance to people of Islamic faith who fast most stringently, refusing to even swallow their own saliva, for the 40 days leading up to the festival of Ramzan. Come Ramzan, everybody queues up for their fair share of this delicacy.

3. Hyderabadi Marag At Zaiqa-E-Hyderabad

If you always thought regular mutton soup is the only dish that soothes your palate and your soul, then you have not tried Hyderabadi Marag, Hyderabad’s special soup yet. Hyderabadi Marag is a soup that is a favourite with people who like their soup spicy and with meat in it. Made of tender mutton, it is a dish fit for nawabs, as most of Hyderabad’s cuisine usually is. Some restaurants serve Hyderabadi Marag with chicken meat too.

4. Mutton Dalcha At Bombay Restaurant

This uniquely Hyderabadi dish makes use of the ubiquitous mutton along with pulses and spices to tickle your palate and get you completely hooked to its taste. It’s made using chickpea lentils and mutton, but can be made with vegetables too if you wish.

5. Dum Pukht At Aish – The Park

Anglicised to “slow-oven cooking”, Dum Pukht is a technique that involves cooking meat or vegetables over a very low, slow flame. Relying heavily on roasting the vegetables or meat in their own juices, and not on flavouring them using various spices, Dum Pukht cooking has its origins in Persia. Used extensively in Mughlai cooking, where a heavy-bottomed pot is sealed with dough to prevent the escape of the slightest whiff, come to Hyderabad for some Dum Pukht-style Dum Biryani, Dum Aloo or Dum Gosht.

6. Bobbatlu At Rayalaseema Ruchulu

Called puran poli outside South India, and Bobbatlu in Andhra Pradesh and Purnalu in Telangana, this is a form of flatbread, stuffed with a sweet filling. The filling is made of chickpeas, spices and sugar, with the bread itself made from flour and served hot with a dollop of ghee. In South India, Bobbatlu appear and taste almost like sweet chapathis, and the dessert cannot be missed in any exploration of South Indian cuisine.

7. Irani Chai At Nimrah Cafe And Bakery

If you are fond of tea, Irani Chai gives you a different take on that evening cup. Accompanied by a thick, sweet biscuit, Irani Chai is very milky, boiled for hours over a low flame, leaving it with a bitter, unique taste. Irani Chai is very popular in Hyderabad, with entire stalls dedicated to it. You cannot pass by an eat-street without coming across a crowd of people, tired at the end of their day, enjoying a cupful of the Irani chai and biscuits.

8. Double ka Meetha At Flechazo

This is another hot favourite item on any dessert menu in Hyderabad, including at weddings and parties. The name may seem like a misnomer, until you are told that the local slang word for bread is ‘double roti’ and that this sweet is basically made of fried bread, sugar syrup and garnished with slivers of nuts. You will find it served at almost every feast held on any occasion.

9. Sheer Korma At Amma Vanta

Sheer Korma is basically vermicelli pudding, with sweetened milk and dates. Akin to porridge, the sweet is boiled for a period, leaving it creamy and white. Usually made for festivals and functions, or just quiet afternoons, Sheer Korma is high up on the list of Indian comfort-foods. If you happen to be that sort of person, ask for dry fruits as an accompaniment, to add a crunchy note along with the nutty flavour.

10. Mirchi ka Salan At

Bawarchi

Even though it is a curry made entirely of chillies, the spices and flavours used make it an extremely balanced dish which does not shock your palate too much. Expect to find it quite pungent though and sour to boot. This is considered an extremely suitable side dish which goes with the ever-popular Hyderabadi biryani, along with what is called raita, or onions in curd.

There might be many more examples of great food we might be missing here, and we invite you to write in and tell us about the best food you have eaten in Hyderabad and help us to round off this list of great food items from Hyderabad. Stay tuned for more such blogs.